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The Future of American Transportation
As society continually advances, consumers are becoming increasingly dependent on safe and reliable vehicles. In 2010, there was an estimation that the number of automobiles had risen to over 1 billion vehicles, up from the 500 million of 1986 (Lehner). At the beginning of 2013, the Toyota Prius hybrid was the third best selling family car in the world (PopSci). When the latest generation of plug-in electric cars hit the mass market three years ago, they evoked the same mix of reactions as hybrids did: enthusiasm, curiosity, and some skepticism. However, they're selling at more than twice the rate at which the first widely available hybrids left dealers' lots. The main factors of this increase are most likely due to their reliability, affordability, and quality. Gas-powered cars have been around for over one hundred years. Moreover, gas engines are the most available in society today. Because gas engines can be serviced just about anywhere, they are easily accessible and reliable; however they are not perfect. Other types of engines, such as the electricity and hydrogen powered, have been researched into for years but only recently have they been truly mastered thus becoming more popular. It is true, electric cars are on the verge of a sales boom as they increase in popularity. This surge of popularity has caused electric vehicles to steal a solid amount of business in the automotive industry, which will potentially evolve the automotive market as a whole (Lehner). The number one reason why previous gas car owners switched to electric is simply because the electric lifestyle is more affordable. As gas prices rise, the price of powering an electric car sits at a fraction of the average cost to fill up an engine powered by gasoline. Driving an electric car is equivalent to paying about one dollar a gallon (Lehner). The initial issue with electric cars is that their starting costs to purchase were simply too high to
As society continually advances, consumers are becoming increasingly dependent on safe and reliable vehicles. In 2010, there was an estimation that the number of automobiles had risen to over 1 billion vehicles, up from the 500 million of 1986 (Lehner). At the beginning of 2013, the Toyota Prius hybrid was the third best selling family car in the world (PopSci). When the latest generation of plug-in electric cars hit the mass market three years ago, they evoked the same mix of reactions as hybrids did: enthusiasm, curiosity, and some skepticism. However, they're selling at more than twice the rate at which the first widely available hybrids left dealers' lots. The main factors of this increase are most likely due to their reliability, affordability, and quality. Gas-powered cars have been around for over one hundred years. Moreover, gas engines are the most available in society today. Because gas engines can be serviced just about anywhere, they are easily accessible and reliable; however they are not perfect. Other types of engines, such as the electricity and hydrogen powered, have been researched into for years but only recently have they been truly mastered thus becoming more popular. It is true, electric cars are on the verge of a sales boom as they increase in popularity. This surge of popularity has caused electric vehicles to steal a solid amount of business in the automotive industry, which will potentially evolve the automotive market as a whole (Lehner). The number one reason why previous gas car owners switched to electric is simply because the electric lifestyle is more affordable. As gas prices rise, the price of powering an electric car sits at a fraction of the average cost to fill up an engine powered by gasoline. Driving an electric car is equivalent to paying about one dollar a gallon (Lehner). The initial issue with electric cars is that their starting costs to purchase were simply too high to